Thursday, December 10, 2009

Winning Readings Giveaways ending 12/10

In addition to the giveaways we post about all over the blogosphere, we host a bunch of giveaways right here on Winning Readings! In case you've missed any, here are the ones closing on 12/10/09:

To enter, please click on the link to go to the giveaway post and comment there.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Neil Armstrong is My Uncle

Title: Neil Armstrong is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me
Author: Nan Marino
Blog: Back to Books
Link to Giveaway: Contest: Neil Armstrong
Genre: Children's book ages 8-12
How to enter: Follow Back to Books and comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: Dec. 4
Restrictions: US and Canada only

Blessed reading,
Jane

Two Christmas Books

Title: The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson; The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman
Blog: The Joy of Children's Literature
Link to Giveaway: Holiday Books Give Away!!!
Genre: Children's books
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: Winners will be selected Friday, December 4th
Restrictions: US only

Blessed reading,
Jane

Leaving Yesterday

Title: Leaving Yesterday
Author: Kathryn Cushman
Blog: Tara's View on Books
Link to Giveaway: Leaving Yesterday GIVEAWAY!!
Genre: Christian fiction
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: December 3, 2009
Restrictions: Canada and the US

Blessed reading,
Jane

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Touching Wonder: A Christmas Radio Special

You can listen to excerpts of the book we just reviewed. See below for details:
You are invited to visit uReadBooks.com to listen to this new Christmas audio special!


uReadBooks presents:

Touching Wonder -
A Christmas Radio Special

Does it seem like you have heard the Christmas story a few too many times for it to still hold the wonder that it once had? With his instant classic, Touching Wonder, author John Blase breathes new life into the story of the Nativity. Just in time for the holiday season, uReadBooks.com presents a half hour Christmas special featuring excerpts from this new book.
About the book:

Little children understand how amazing the Nativity story is. But, sometimes, as we become men and women, we put away the childlike with the childish. The result? We lose something vital—the wonder of it all. When author John Blase went looking for the lost wonder of Christmas, he went back to the place he’d last seen it—the stories from Luke 1-2. What he found fills the pages of his new book, Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas (David C Cook, September 2009), with flesh and bone and dust and night and a baby’s cry; the intimate union of human and divine—the Incarnation.

By boldly imagining the first two chapters of the gospel of Luke, writer, editor, and former pastor John Blase has created an instant classic for Christmastime. In a tale that reads like a novel parallel parked by the record of Scripture, Blase beckons those who could use a little wonder in their lives to step onto the stage of history and witness the long awaited coming of the Messiah. With Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible translation as his backdrop, Blase adds his own voice and commentary to the historic events, exploring the renowned drama from an array of viewpoints.
In Touching Wonder, readers will meet a cast of unruly unlikelies—a frightened teenaged girl, a worried carpenter, a collection of senior citizens, a disillusioned young shepherd, even an angel or two—moving toward the realization that the little one just born is the One. This imaginative retelling of the grand miracle will leave readers wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and heart-full. The Lord is come!

In this lovely and distinctive book to be read…and re-read…and pondered in the heart, young and old will recapture the wonder of the Christmas story by seeing through the eyes of those who lived it. The book’s graceful design and Amanda Jolman’s beautiful line drawings combine to make this a thoughtful Christmas gift as well as a wonder that families will treasure for years to come.

Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas
by John Blase

David C Cook/September 2009

http://www.davidccook.com/
http://www.johnblase.com/

To listen to or download the program, visit www.ureadbooks.com/touchingwonder.

Review/Giveaway: Touching Wonder


A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!


Title: Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas
Author: John Blase
Genre: Christian nonfiction
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.
Entry deadline: December 10, 2009
Restrictions: Open internationally
That's right, enter right here for this giveaway. Please note: we are giving away our review copy, so it has been gently read.
---------------
One of the spectacular things of having a kid is experiencing the magic of Christmas all over again. As we walked through Michaels, two-year-old Esmé stood in awe at the blinking lights of the decorated trees, getting louder and louder in her exclamations until she caught sight of the PINK glistening tree at the end of the row. Can you imagine anything more exciting than a flashing pink tree?!

And the manger. How fascinated she is with the manger. At church, she stood in silence at the manger scene, and I wondered what was going through her mind. Back at home, she filled a basket with paper trimmings from a project I had been cutting it out - calling it straw - and curled up in the "manger," reliving the event. She looks in the night sky and sees angels doing "glory to God." And I can't argue with her - I'm sure they are really there.

I recently came across a book that took me back to the original Christmas scene: the human-ness of it; the awesomeness of it. I felt like I was there, going through all the emotions, and feeling the wonder amidst the sweat and pain.

Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blase was the book. A quick or meditative read, depending on your schedule, it repeats the familiar Christmas Bible passages, and then expounds on what was happening through all the characters' points of view.

Here's what the press release says about the book: "In Touching Wonder, readers will meet a cast of unruly unlikelies - a frightened teenage girl, a worried carpenter, a collection of senior citizens, a disillusioned young shepherd, even an angel or two - moving toward the realization that the little one just born is the One. This imaginative retelling of the grand miracle will leave readers wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and heartful. The Lord is come!"

John Blase, the author, is a former pastor who edits by day and writes by night. He and his wife, Meredith, have three children and live in Colorado

You can find this book for purchase at David C. Cook for $12.99, where you'll also find a book trailer.

Thanks to The B&B Media Group, Inc for the review copy of this book.

Old MacNoah Had an Ark

Title: Old MacNoah Had an Ark
Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones
Blog: Frugal Plus
Link to Giveaway: Old MacNoah Had an Ark by Sally Lloyd-Jones Review & Giveaway!
Genre: Christian children's book (baby/preschool)
How to enter: Subscribe to Frugal Plus and comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Restrictions: US residents; no PO boxes

Blessed reading,
Jane

Ivy + Bean Doomed to Dance

Title: Ivy + Bean Doomed to Dance
Author: Annie Barrows
Blog: Frugal Plus
Link to Giveaway: Ivy and Bean Doomed to DanceTour & Giveaway (Part 1)
Genre: Children's book ages 4-8
How to enter: Subscribe to Frugal Plus and comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 11:59 PM EST
Restrictions: US and Canada; no PO boxes

Blessed reading,
Jane

Dana Lehman Books

Title: Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson About Teasing; I Double Dare You
Author: Dana Lehman
Blog: Frugal Plus
Link to Giveaway: Adventures at Walnut Grove and I Double Dare You! by Dana Lehman Review & Giveaway!
Genre: Children's books ages 4-8
How to enter: Subscribe to Frugal Plus and comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Restrictions: US residents; no PO boxes

Blessed reading,
Jane

Glo Bible Software

Title: glo: The Bible for the Digital World
Blog: Woven by Words
Link to Giveaway: The Glo Bible Review & GIVEAWAY
Genre: Bible software
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post after visiting globible.com, telling one of the features you'd like to use if you win
Entry deadline: December 14th, 10pm CST
Restrictions: US resident

Blessed reading,
Jane

The Christmas Dog

Title: The Christmas Dog
Author: Melody Carlson
Blog: Thoughts of a Sojourner
Link to Giveaway: The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson, and A Giveaway
Genre: Adult Christmas fiction
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post telling your favorite Christmas song
Entry deadline: December 6
Restrictions: US entries only
Blessed reading,
Jane

The Unfinished Gift

Title: The Unfinished Gift
Author: Dan Walsh
Blog: Thoughts of a Sojourner
Link to Giveaway: The Unfinished Gift by Dan Walsh, and a giveaway
Genre: Adult Christmas fiction
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post telling of a favorite gift received at Christmas
Entry deadline: December 6
Restrictions: None given

Blessed reading,
Jane

Sunday, November 29, 2009

My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure DVD

Title: My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure DVD
Blog: Quiverfull Family
Link to Giveaway: Contest and DVD Review: My Little Pony – Twinkle Wish Adventure
Genre: Children's DVD
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: 12 a.m. MST on Wednesday, December 09th, 2009
Restrictions: US/Canada

Blessed reading,
Jane

God Is With Me Books

Title: God Is With Me Through the Day; God Is With Me Through the Night
Author: Julie Cantrell
Blog: Mozi Esmé
Link to Giveaway: Review/Giveaway: God Is With Me books
Genre: Christian children's books
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: December 10
Restrictions: Open internationally

Blessed reading,
Jane

123 San Francisco

Title: 123 San Francisco: A Cool Counting Book; and 123 USA: A Cool Counting Book
Author: Puck
Blog: Book Giveaways
Link to Giveaway: 123 San Francisco and 123 USA Book Review and Giveaway...
Genre: Children's book: baby/toddler
How to enter: Comment on the giveaway post
Entry deadline: Tues. Dec. 1st, 2009
Restrictions: None listed

Blessed reading,
Jane